Viticulture by Stonemaier games includes one of my favourite, and often overlooked, game mechanics, serenity!

1-6 Players 45-90 minutes Age 13+

Designer: Jamey Stegmaier, Alan Stone

Artist: Jacqui Davis, David Montgomery, Beth Sobel

Publisher: Stonemaier Games

Welcome to the Vineyard

With the new release of the Viticulture World co-op expansion, the time feels right to revisit the original Viticulture, or in this case the Essentials Edition. Gamers new and old are rediscovering this worker placement gem in which players are vintners managing their own vineyards, planting vines, harvesting and ageing grapes and making wine to fulfil orders. Since the original Viticulture’s release in 2013 and this updated Essentials revamp in 2015 the world of worker placement games has exploded bringing with it updated and innovative mechanics for the genre. Yet Viticulture has maintained a strong position among its would-be competitors. So what is it about this arguably niche game that has won over the hearts and minds of so many day drinkers gamers?

The Red

One of Viticulture’s primary draws is its gameplay. As a worker placement game it knows exactly what it’s doing and which pleasure centres to hit. Like a fine merlot, Viticulture provides a deep, colourful experience and those in the know can recognise a good one when they taste it. The worker placement mechanics aren’t breaking new ground, but they don’t need to, after all, it was Viticulture and it’s ilk that paved the way. What it does do well is give players a lot of what they enjoy about this style of game, satisfying placement resulting in an immediate reward that advances their goals. An aspect that sets this fine wine apart from many cheaper, supermarket-brand worker placement games is the Grande worker. This grape-laden meeple can be placed anywhere you like once per game year, including spots that have already been claimed, ensuring you won’t miss out on that one essential action you’ve planned your entire turn around. This goes a long way towards mitigating the disappointment of being denied what you need without negatively impacting the core experience for others. It’s a simple idea, but one that I’d like to see employed more often in games of this nature. Stonemaier Games understands that gameplay need not be punishing in order to provide a challenge. I much prefer games that leave players feeling rewarded and if they win, it wasn’t due to some mean spirited restriction, but rather because they outplayed their opponents, and Viticulture embodies this value.

The White

I’m a sucker for a gorgeous looking game and bonus points are awarded if the art captures the emotional resonance of the theme. It doesn’t need to be the highest quality art in order to do this, just evoking the right feels is enough. Viticulture’s style has a feel that perfectly embodies the essence of Tuscany, the quaint villas, rustic storehouses and orderly rows of tangled vines stretching to the horizon. Here artists, Jacqui Davis, David Montgomery and Beth Sobel created a subdued palette of muted colours that draws players in without distracting from the game’s purpose, everything looks like a gorgeous watercolour you may expect find adorning the walls of one of the very villas they depict. This creates a sense of immersion that perfectly encapsulates the attention to detail Jamey Stegmaier strives towards in all his designs. The art has a timeless quality that will age, dare I say, like a fine wine. It may have been tempting to enhance the colours and up the contrast to create components that resulted in a more visually striking presentation, but doing so would have done little to improve the game and may have in fact detracted from the overall experience, so the restraint shown is appreciated. It may not be quite as eye catching, but they at least managed to avoid going full euro.

The Blush

While the base Viticulture Essential Edition game is enough for any gamer to sink their teeth into, adding the Tuscany Essentials expansion cranks the experience up to 11! Like adding red to white to make a fine blush, Tuscany, when added to Viticulture, expands the game by adding a whole extra season with a new extended game board, new structure cards that can be mixed in with the original game and introduces special workers each with their own abilities that players can train and add to their worker pool. As I was originally introduced to Viticulture with the Tuscany expansion, I’ve found its the way I prefer to play. The inclusion of the fourth season tickles my OCD fancy just right and the additional elements round out the game by finding little nooks and crannies from which to draw new experiences from what was already a finely polished product. Stonemaier Games’ expansions have always held to the philosophy that such additions should only ever enhance the original game without changing the core underpinnings and in this, Tuscany succeeds. While it’s not essential (despite it saying so right in the title) I feel the expansion is a worthy investment and great value given the additional content it brings.

The Sparkling

Optional metal coins… but are they optional, really?

At the beginning of this review I mentioned the concept of serenity as a game mechanic. You see, for me, board games are often more than just a fanciful pass time, they provide experiences on par with any other creative work, be they a painting, a classic film or an orchestral composition. In my video on The Benefits of Board Gaming, I spoke at length about the merits of mindfulness in board games and how they can provide not only a welcome slice of harmless escapism from the harsh realities of modern times, but also result in tangible improvements to mental health and wellbeing. Viticulture was one of the titles I praised for this exact contribution to my own wellbeing. At times, I want to engage my mind but also feel at peace, and Viticulture has proven to be an amazing antidote for stress, the theme, the design, the mindful placement of workers and the inoffensive gameplay free of violence, political upheaval or overt competitiveness is a welcome respite from my usual miniatures-heavy fare of axe wielding combat and dice rolling. I often compare Viticulture to Wingspan for this reason and is a game I recommend to new comers to the hobby who want to play something thematic and meaningful while remaining approachable and family friendly.

The Vinegar

The Automa starts with a slight advantage.

Despite my somewhat gushing review, I understand that not all games are for all people and Viticulture is no different. While it has many excellent qualities, there are a few things to keep in mind when deciding if this is the right game for you. Firstly, player count. The box states 1-6 players…. don’t do it! I find anything more than 4 is like watching grapes age on the vine. My initial introduction to the game, as I said, was with the full expansions and maximum 6 player count, most of whom, myself included, were completely new to the game. As such, it took 7 hours to finish the game… yes you read that right, 7 hours! Thankfully this in no way put me off buying my own copy later that week, as I was able to see the appeal of the game despite feeling like I’d aged several vintages myself in the process. But I know there were others who walked away from the table declaring they were going straight to gamer rehab. The second point is the theme itself, wine making, while a pleasant enough theme, isn’t necessarily going to hook many players in. I don’t even drink wine myself and have never had any interest in the wine making process beyond the luxurious lifestyle its often portrayed as in popular media (it was good enough for Captain Picard after all). So be aware when trying to explain Viticulture to newcomers, unless they have an interest in the theme, I’d start with what it offers from a gameplay experience first; I love worker placement games and that’s what grabbed my attention initially.

Go home, you’re drunk

Viticulture Essential Edition and the Tuscany expansion are exemplars of the worker placement genre. Second only in my mind to my all time favourite, Lords of Waterdeep (I know, I have a soft spot for the classics), this game will be a fixture of my collection for years to come. Featuring solid gameplay, a gentle, inviting theme and a welcoming community of fans to play and discuss it with, Viticulture is certainly worth checking out.

If you’re already a fan of Viticulture of if you felt it wasn’t the game for you, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below or you can join the Above Board community on our Facebook page here. In the meantime, take care and I’ll see you next time!

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Viticulture + Tuscany Review